Office of the Historian

Preface

This volume was prepared under the general supervision of the late S. Everett Gleason, Chief of the Foreign Relations Division.

The compilers of the volume were Neal H. Petersen (Multilateral Relations and Indochina), William Z. Slany (Australia and the Philippines), Charles S. Sampson (Burma, Indonesia, and Thailand), John P. Glennon (China), and David W. Mabon (Japan).

The editors acknowledge with appreciation the assistance provided them by the historians of the Department of Defense, including the Joint Chiefs of Staff. They are also grateful for the cooperation of the National Security Council, the Department of Defense, the Department of Commerce, the Department of the Treasury, and the Central Intelligence Agency, all of which concurred in the declassification of various papers for release herein. Thanks are also due to those foreign governments that kindly granted permission for the publication of certain of their documents in this volume.

The technical editing was done by the Publishing and Reproduction Division, headed by Willard M. McLaughlin. The index was prepared by Francis C. Prescott.

Fredrick Aandahl

Acting Director, Historical Office
Bureau of Public Affairs

Principles for the Compilation and Editing of “Foreign Relations”

The principles which guide the compilation and editing of Foreign Relations are stated in Department of State Regulation 2 FAM 1350 of June 15, 1961, a revision of the order approved on March 26, 1925, by Mr. Frank B. Kellogg, then Secretary of State. The text of the regulation, as further amended, is printed below:

1350 Documentary Record of American Diplomacy

1351 Scope of Documentation

The publication Foreign Relations of the United States constitutes the official record of the foreign policy of the United States. These volumes include, subject to necessary security considerations, all documents needed to give a comprehensive record of the major foreign policy decisions within the range of the Department of State’s responsibilities, [Page IV] together with appropriate materials concerning the facts which contributed to the formulation of policies. When further material is needed to supplement the documentation in the Department’s files for a proper understanding of the relevant policies of the United States, such papers should be obtained from other Government agencies.

1352 Editorial Preparation

The basic documentary diplomatic record to be printed in Foreign Relations of the United States is edited by the Historical Office, Bureau of Public Affairs of the Department of State. The editing of the record is guided by the principles of historical objectivity. There may be no alteration of the text, no deletions without indicating where in the text the deletion is made, and no omission of facts which were of major importance in reaching a decision. Nothing may be omitted for the purpose of concealing or glossing over what might be regarded by some as a defect of policy. However, certain omissions of documents are permissible for the following reasons:

a.
To avoid publication of matters which would tend to impede current diplomatic negotiations or other business.
b.
To condense the record and avoid repetition of needless details.
c.
To preserve the confidence reposed in the Department by individuals and by foreign governments.
d.
To avoid giving needless offense to other nationalities or individuals.
e.
To eliminate personal opinions presented in despatches and not acted upon by the Department. To this consideration there is one qualification—in connection with major decisions it is desirable, where possible, to show the alternative presented to the Department before the decision was made.

1353 Clearance

To obtain appropriate clearances of material to be published in Foreign Relations of the United States, the Historical Office:

a.
Refers to the appropriate policy offices of the Department and of other agencies of the Government such papers as appear to require policy clearance.
b.
Refers to the appropriate foreign governments requests for permission to print as part of the diplomatic correspondence of the United States those previously unpublished documents which were originated by the foreign governments.